THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: MLA O Rajagopal on Thursday told the Assembly for the first time in Kerala, the CPM-Congress grand alliance had come to the fore.
During the special session of the Assembly convened to discuss the situation arising out of the Central government’s curbs on cattle sale and slaughter he said the session had turned out to be a propaganda against the Narendra Modi government based on a non issue.
He also alleged the government and Opposition UDF had conspired to misuse the platform of the Assembly to unleash a smear campaign against the Central Government. Both the LDF and UDF were trying to depict the curbs on cattle trade as ban on slaughter.
He said the prevention of cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Live Stock Markets) Rules 2017 were notified by the Central Government to regulate the animal markets and curb trans-border smuggling of cattle.
Later, addressing a news conference, he said it was the Congress party which banned cow slaughter in 17 states. “It was not the RSS which stated in the Directive Principles of Constitution that cow slaughter should be banned,” he said.
He said the CPM had always been following a style of ‘governance and agitation’ together. Now the Congress has also joined the bandwagon of the CPM, he said. He said the government could still present its suggestions to cross over the issues rising out of the curbs on cattle trade.